Re: 1972 Ranger Bass Boat Restoration Project
Hey Isaacm,
I don't know if you sold the boat or not, but a little history about it. You found out your Ranger was a 1976, mine is a 1977 and it came out before the 1776 Super A. Our bassboats were used in B.A.S.S. tournaments in 1975 and 1976 respectively. In 1977 they went to the "new" model 178V Rangers. The max sized motor for that boat is a 115 motor, which Johnson was the official motor of choice.
If your curious, the 'A' symbol stands for Allison. I had a picture but lost it and have been searching every since! Ranger bought the hull design from a Racing Allison boat. Ranger modified the cap to be a bass boat thus labeling the boat the 175a for Allison hull. The allison Racing boat used a 115 mercury motor, I wish I had more details of the speeds! But my Ranger with the 850 motor and me with normal load would max out at 45mph. Its not easy to afford an allison, so the boat you have is as cheap an allison that u can find! And the dang thing is quick, and would run all weekend with 13 gallons of gas! Try that 150HP guys! Allison was known for making a boat go fast with little power. The R175a with a 115 would run in the mid 50's, so your boat would have been quick!
Through a LOT of digging and research I also found this picture of a 1976 Ranger boat add that shows our boat in its original Copper colored cap and yellow bottom. Of course color is optional. Hehehe..
If anyone has any more information pertaining to these old bassboats definately post it. It is VERY difficult to find information unless you wanna pay for it! Forget that!! Thats why I fix everything!
Enjoy!
Brent.
